MISSOULA — As Shann Schillinger stood on the Washington-Grizzly Stadium turf before a mid-spring football practice, the former All-American Montana safety couldn’t help but smile.
While conducting an interview, his mind flashed back to his time roaming the Griz secondary during one of the prominent runs in one of the proudest small-school football programs in the country. Mid-sentence, Montana’s third-year safeties coach paused and chuckled as the Griz defensive line emerged from Topel Tunnel, breezing passed while chanting in unison like an Army platoon.
“That brings me back,” Schillinger said with a grin.
“These practices are different. We’ve changed some things but there are some similarities. But these, physical, tough and no walking on the field. Run around drill to drill, be efficient with time, very similar things that we did when I played here.”
With Bobby Hauck back in the fold, the day-to-day operation of the Griz football program is noticeably different, at least when it comes to attention to detail, a demand for excellence and a return to an ultra-efficient practice style that trademarked Hauck’s first seven-year tenure at UM.
Between 2003 and 2009, Hauck’s teams consistently pounded opponents with a style predicated on physicality, relentlessness and the belief that, after 60 minutes, they would emerge victorious regardless of game plan or execution. Schillinger, a 2009 graduate, was a part of a secondary that featured fellow future NFL safety Colt Anderson along with Trumaine Johnson, an upstart back then and the highest paid cornerback in the NFL each of the last two seasons now.
The talent didn’t stop there. Hauck not only turned a collection of walk-ons into stars, he also had a hand in turning overlooked prospects like Anderson, defensive end Kroy Biermann, wide receiver Marc Mariani and running back Chase Reynolds into NFL players.
The recruitment and cultivation of talent certainly played key factors in Hauck’s 80-17 record, his seven straight Big Sky Conference championships and Montana’s three trips (2004, 2008, 2009) to the FCS national title game. But Hauck’s structure, his vigorous and competitive practices and the Grizzlies’ peerless work ethic played as big a factor as the gifts of the individual athletes.
“With Coach Hauck, there’s a philosophy and the base behind it is us wanting to be a super physical team,” UM running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Justin Green, an All-Big Sky running back and NFL draft selection under Hauck last decade, said in April. “To be a physical team, you have to have physical practices.”
During Montana’s 15 spring practices, the logistics and schemes were rudimentary. But the priority on learning how to appease Hauck during a daily practice session took priority.
“It’s been a little change for some of them, especially early on,” said Schillinger, an All-Big Sky selection in 2008 and 2009 as UM lost one conference game in Schillinger’s four eligible seasons. “As we get more comfortable with it, it picks up. I’m a fan of it. Games in this stadium are chaotic. You have to practice that way. We have organized some chaos and make it hard for them. Guys are enjoying it.”
The practice format may be new and a learning experience for the players, but it seems like old hat for Hauck, back in the head coaching seat for the first time since resigning after five seasons at UNLV in 2014. Hauck sharpened his offensive acumen in Vegas before learning nuances and defensive diversity while working for Rocky Long at San Diego State each of the last three seasons.
Although he’s been away from his home state for the better part of a decade, certain things seem very similar to Hauck’s first go-round at UM. As Montana begins fall camp with its first of 19 practices on August 8, the Griz are expected to engage in a physical month in the quest of affirming the slogan for Hauck’s return: “RTD” – Return to Dominance.
“We just need to get better and we have a long way to go,” Hauck said in March. “That’s fairly cliché but we do have a long way to go. We have to get good competition in. We need to get after each other.”
“I really like our team,” the coach reiterated following Montana’s spring game. “The buy in and the investment has been total and complete. We’ve had zero resistance from any of them. They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do.
“I think they trust us as a coaching staff for our know-how. And they want to win. They want to win a championship. They’ve been really receptive to anything we’ve requested and required of them. That points to a lot of good things and shows a lot of character in that locker room.”
Former head coach Bob Stitt served as the first head coach from “outside the Montana family” in more than 30 years. Joe Glenn, Mick Dennehy, Joe Glenn, Hauck, Robin Pflugrad and Mick Delaney all had strong Montana ties.
Stitt built a players’ program with practices based on schematic preparation more than physicality. Although the sample size is small, the returns from Montana’s players following spring ball seems to indicate excitement amongst most entering the first fall camp for this group under Hauck.
“We do stuff really intense and that’s how I like things,” UM junior tight end Colin Bingham said. “Everything is very detail oriented and I think it breeds a pretty good culture that we need.”
“Intensity,” UM senior linebacker Shayne Cochran added. “Nothing against the last coaches, they were great. But these guys are just preaching intensity, effort, attitude.
“It’s lot more contact, a ton more running; we are getting in so much better shape. It also helps us work on all the stuff we have struggled on. We are using our hands a lot more, our footwork, all the little things.”
Stitt left Hauck with a roster flush with talented offensive skill players. Wide receivers senior Keenan Curran, juniors Jerry Louie-McGee and Justin Calhoun and sophomores Samori Toure and Sammy Akem all have all-league potential. If healthy, senior tailback Jeremy Calhoun could make a jump to one of the league’s best feature backs. The skill guys have noticed the difference in practice and preparation through the first phase under the new coaching staff.
“I like it this way,” Curran said at the Big Sky Kickoff in Spokane in July. “You are not going to win the Daytona 500 going slow the first laps. I think every lap has to be fast. Just like us: every phase of our off-season has to be 100 percent go. I like this physicality. I like the way we are lifting. I like the way we are focusing in meetings. Ultimately, that’s going to carry into the summer and carry into the season. When fall camp comes, we don’t have to get into gear. We’ve been in gear for the whole year
“For me, it’s the sense of urgency for the season but for the team, it’s physicality. Things are a lot more physical. Typically, spring for guys can be, ‘we aren’t playing against anybody, we aren’t getting anything out of it’ but with this spring, it’s more we are building a win a Big Sky championship. If that’s not your goal, then what are you playing for?”
Photos by Lacey Young, Jason Bacaj and Brooks Nuanez. All Rights Reserved.
